Lecture on Social Justice

Introduction

• Speaker expresses gratitude for the introduction and opportunity to speak.
• Emphasizes the importance of social justice, which is a personal passion.

Interactions and Reactions

• Works at a university, interacts with diverse professionals and students.
• Often questioned about personal research interests; responds with a focus on social justice.
• Receives varied reactions:
  • Some dismiss social justice issues as outdated (linked to 1960s and 70s).
  • Others respond with hostility or skepticism about an administrator's role in social justice.
  • Majority give a patronizing response, glazing over the topic.

Definition of Social Justice

• Aims for a society where everyone can achieve their potential regardless of background.
• Believes an equal playing field is not yet achieved.

Key Issues in Social Justice

Racism and Human Rights

• Myth of a post-racial society challenged through examples like:
  • Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri)
  • Eric Gardner (Staten Island, NY)
  • Trayvon Martin (Florida)
• Voter suppression targeting people of color and poor communities.

Gender Issues

• Feminism stigmatized; gender inequality persists.
• Equal Rights Amendment not passed; wage gap remains (~77 cents/dollar).
• Global issues: Female illiteracy and school access.
• Female genital mutilation is prevalent.
• Birth control and abortion debates resurface.

Masculinity and Gender Violence

• Challenges around modern masculinity and its cultural expectations.
• Gender violence statistics:
  • 1 in 4 women face intimate partner violence.
  • 3 women murdered daily by intimate partners.
• Sexual assault in institutions like the military and colleges.
• High school sports culture linked to sexual assault (example: Sayreville, NJ).

Gun Violence

• Lack of debate on gun control despite numerous mass shootings (Virginia Tech, Gabby Giffords, Sandy Hook).
• Gun statistics:
  • More teens/children die from gun violence every three days than Sandy Hook.
  • One-third of US homes have guns, often illegal.

Poverty

• Over 46 million people live below the poverty line in the U.S.
• 20% of children live in poverty.
• U.S. has the second-highest child poverty rate among developed countries.

LGBTQA Issues

• Marriage equality celebrated but other issues persist:
  • LGBTQA youth face bullying and violence.
  • High homelessness among LGBTQA youth.
  • High-profile cases of anti-LGBTQA violence (Tyler Clementi, Matthew Shepherd).

Criminal Justice

• U.S. has the highest incarceration rate globally.
• Racial disparities in incarceration rates.
• Concept of "cradle-to-prison pipeline" highlighted.

Conclusion

• References Martin Luther King Jr. on justice.
• Encourages involvement in the fight for social justice.
• Emphasizes responsibility to future generations.
• Ends with a call to action for social change.